Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Garden of the Gods and Books!!

Colorado Springs has several areas of particularly stunning terrain, one of which is the Garden of the Gods. The rock formations here are beautiful and awe-inspiring, especially when you realize they have formed through tumultuous geological changes over loooong periods of time. A short rainstorm hit us halfway through, so dark and looming clouds made for a dramatic picture.

Garden of the Gods with rain clouds in the background

My Mom and me at the Garden of the Gods. We did not intentionally coordinate the shirts, but I do realize they highlight how similar we look!

Also in the Garden of the Gods is the Balanced Rock - a 700-ton rock that has eroded away faster on the bottom than on the top, leaving it perched on only a small point of contact. The rock used to be privately owned in the late 1800's, and the owner would take visitors' photos in front of the rock for 25 cents a piece. When personal cameras became more popular (in the early 1900's - who the heck had personal cameras then?!), he built a fence around the rock and charged to get in. Later, the government bought him out and returned the rock to free public access.

Balanced Rock, with lots of happy picture takers!

Unfortunately, our rental car broke down in the parking lot at the Balanced Rock, so the second car in our family caravan shuttled us to town while we waited for a new car to arrive. We hung out at The Bookman - an adorable used bookstore with it's own cat! Every bookstore needs a cat, right?! We left with no less than an entire box full of books, including several classics (Mutiny on the HMS Bounty, anyone?), a biography of Abigail Adams (I've been reading a biography of John Adams, and his wife was just about as active as he was), and the Reader's Digest USA Travel Guide (for my future travels, of course)!

The Bookman bookstore in Colorado Springs - their mascot cat was very sociable.

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About Me

I am a chemical engineer pursuing a career in food engineering. I have lived in Texas for the last five years, but I also spent a year studying in England and will always be very fond of the British culture. Engineering runs in my blood (thanks dad!), but I revel in music, coffee, and a good book.